Boys will be boys

After 15 years as the favourite, it was a surprise to see Jack finally knocked off the top spot by Oliver in 2009. But Oliver's moment of glory was just that, as this year there's a new number one in town.

Joshua is this year's most popular boy's name, climbing three places to the top spot. Jack is still an all-time favourite, however, as it hangs on in second position for the second year running. Could we be in for 15 years of Jack being at number two now?

A new entry to this year's top 10 is Noah, leaping 13 places up to number nine. And with Joshua, Jack, Thomas, Ethan, Daniel and James all in the top 10, there certainly seems to be a trend for traditional, biblical names in the boys' camp. It looks like we prefer to play it safe when it comes to our sons.

Here come the girls

Last year's favourite, Isabelle, has been knocked down to second place, with Sophie climbing from fourth place to claim the top spot. The top five remains sweet and feminine, with Emily, Olivia and Lily taking the remaining spots.

Elsewhere in the girls' top 50, there have been some surprising changes. Freya jumped a whopping 14 places to take 19th place, Maisie is up 11 places to 28, and traditional favourite Rebecca fell out of the top 50 altogether.

Traditional names seem to be in vogue for the girls, with modern names such as Summer and Zoe falling down the charts, while old-fashioned favourites such as Phoebe and Matilda climb. Might you be tempted to name your little girl after a grandparent or great-grandparent?

Suckers for a saga

Unless you've been living in a dark hole, it's unlikely you've escaped the hype surrounding Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga. The books, and now films, continued to be huge hits in 2010, and it seems the characters have influenced our naming choices. Isabella (the saga's heroine) entered the top 10, up nine places to seventh position. Alice is also a new top 50 entry and comes in at 42. Esme sits just outside at 54.

With the boys, it seems that we're firmly Team Jacob at BabyCentre. While Edward has climbed 20 places this year to 45, Jacob is still sitting much higher up the chart at 13. Jasper is at number 82, while just four members opted to call their child Emmett, with one naming her baby Emmett-Jacob: a true fan!

A royal affair

If the royal family has any influence over baby names, it seems that new parents favour the younger prince over the second heir to the throne. Harry climbed three places to take this year's number three spot, while William dropped out of the top 10 altogether, falling four places to number 11.

With a royal wedding in 2011, will we see it making a glorious return? And will Kate get a sudden revival from position 93 as we name our own little princesses? Celebrities certainly haven't shied away from the royal touch in 2010, with Kate Garraway and Holly Willoughby opting for William and Harry respectively.

The fame game

Our celebrity culture even follows us into the world of baby names. Amelie has risen 16 places, which could be due to the birth of Rachel Stevens' daughter this year. Similarly, Ethan remains solidly in the top 10, and may become increasingly popular now Danni Minogue has chosen the name for her son.

Could the lists reflect political feeling, too? Florence, the name of David Cameron's daughter, is on the rise as a new entry at 58, while Samuel, the name of Labour leader Ed Milliband's son, dropped 13 places to 16. One BabyCentre member even called their child Barack this year!

The middle ground

For boys, it seems that some names are firmly preferred as middle names. Despite Thomas, James, William and George all featuring in the top 15, they are even more popular as second names. For the girls, Rose and Elizabeth are favoured middle names.

Strange but true names

Every year some parents try to choose a name that will be unique to their child. With Nibbler, Malteser, Pharoah, Rainbow, Leafy, Crabby, Cheesewizz and Jagger all entered this year, they may have just achieved it. Other one-off entries like Pharoah, Squire and Hercules may prove hard for their little ones to live up to!

Predictions for 2011

We polished up our crystal ball (and analysed the fastest rising names over the past year) to come up with a list of names we predict will become even more popular in 2011.

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